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Period: to
Building the Transcontinental Railroad
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From Coast to Coast
It was decided that a safer, more effective, route needed to be available to go from coast to coast. The idea was proposed to create a transcontinental railroad. -
Civil War
All of this was happening during the Civil War, which caused it to be amore stressful time for the railway workers and also the men behind the whole process. -
Degrading to Praising
Stanford called Chinese men in California degraded people. Later, Stanford was praising Chinese to President Andrew Johnson to justify the mass hiring of Chinese men. -
Bill is Passed
On July, 1st, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad bill to fund the building of the railroad. This would allow for a large fund for each mile of track to be laid. -
Chinese Workers Wanted
Chinese workers were wanted due to them not being demanding for higher wages, there were many of them, and they were young and willing. As the time there were 50,000 chinese people in California, 90% of them being young men. -
Homeric Winter
The homeric winter was the worst winter recorded, having dropped forty foot of snow and drifts more than eighty-foot high. The Chinese made use of the snow by digging out underground cities to live in. -
6 Foot Deep in Snow
The Dutch Flat Enquirer announced a gane of Chinamen had been covered up by a snowslide and four or five died before they were exhumed. -
Chinese Rebellion
The Chinese railway workers rebelled for higher wages and fewer hours. The strike lasted one week and was a non-violent strike, which was surprising compared the the angry American drunks when they went on strike. The strike lasted one week and the outcome was that the Chinese gained higher wages. -
More Chinese!
Collis Huntington liked the idea of more Chinese Immigrants because of their productivity and progress of the railroad. -
Competition Begins
The Central Pacific and the Union Pacific competed to lay down the most track the fastest. The Central Pacific broke the Union Pacific's record, but the Union pacific layed the most track in the end. -
Railway Completed
On May, 10th of 1869, the railways were joined and welded together. Now that the railway was all finished, the Chinese were laid off and then left homeless to fend for themselves. -
Chinese Fend for Themselves
After the railroad was completed, the Chinese were to be written out of history alogether. Left to fend for themselves, they were son laid off, homeless and spread out across the country.
